Grassroots marketing has always carried a small price tag, however many overlook the amount of time that goes into a successful campaign of this nature. Many think the best way to accomplish this kind of marketing is to hit up the social media platforms. While this is true, it is also important to note that traditional belly-to-belly marketing is still alive and well.

Today, when we talk about “building relationships” the discussion often includes words like “fans” “likes” “followers” and “characters”. People want to know how they can drive business through Facebook. Twitter, Linkedin and any other of the million social media avenues. After all, these are free and only require the time spent. But there are plenty of situations where social media should not be your first or your only answer.

A brand-new business or one that has just moved to a new location or opened a new franchise are examples of organizations that should use traditional grassroots marketing. Traditional grassroots marketing includes things like passing out fliers or appearing as a guest on a local radio show, as opposed to buying advertising on the same radio station or buying TV ad space.

A successful campaign uses people to spread the word and has a VERY personal feel. So, if you are new in town, try some of these traditional grassroots marketing before jumping on the social media bandwagon.

Get local: target your marketing efforts down to the neighborhood level. Hang flyers in the neighborhood.

Get involved: participate in the community to generate visibility and good will. Reach out to school and other local volunteer groups or organizations. Sponsor a youth hockey team, or get involved with local events and activities.

Get personal: as much as possible, market on a one-to-one, face-to-face basis

Here are some tips and techniques to get you started:

Use local city-specific Web sites and local portals

City and town Web sites, as well as local versions of major portals, are growing in number and popularity.

Volunteer, serve on local boards, participate in your local Chamber of Commerce and work for local charities as a way to grow your grassroots marketing efforts. You may find that your neighbors become your customers.